Machine for grinding and roughing shoe bottoms



Nov. 19, 1963 F. DAWSON ETAL 3,110,989

MACHINE FOR GRINDING AND RDUGHING SHOE BOTTOMS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 1, 1960 a 7 INVENTORB W yum ,JI MJM y (947?,

Nov. 19, 1963 F. DAWSON ETAL 3,110,989

MACHINE FOR GRINDING AND ROUGHING SHOE BOTTOMS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed- Aug. 1, 1960 M INVENTOR.

7 ,Mw%w% Nov. 19, 1963 F. DAWSON ETAL MACHINE FOR GRINDING AND ROUGHING SHOE BOTTOMS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 1, 1960 Nov. 19, 1963 F. DAWSON ETAL MACHINE FOR GRINDING AND ROUGHING SHOE BOTTOMS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed 'Aug. 1, 1960 VE T0 ffiwzzki z 7 24m *Z 'IM a 41 74,

Nov- 19,1 F. DAWSON ETAL MACHINE FOR GRINDING AND ROUGHING SHOE BOTTOMS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 1, 1960 FIG. 6

Mm? gr United States Patent 3,110 989 MACHINE FGR GREND ING AND ROUGE-ENG SHGE BOTTOMS This invention comprises a new and improved machine for use in the shoemaking industry for grinding and roughing the bottoms of lasted shoes in preparation for the adhesive attachment of a sole or for other intermediate operations.

The operative inst-rumentalities of the machine consist of an endless abrasive band or belt suitably guided, backed up to travel in a fixed path and exposed in a convenient position for the presentation thereto of the forepart of the shoe bottom, together with a rotary wire brush conveniently located so that the operator may transfer the treated shoe from the abrasive band to the brush by short, easy movement. The abrasive band is particularly adapted for removing pleats and irregularities in the lasted margin of the upper thus causing the forepart of the shoe to present a flat smooth surface. The brush is adapted for roughing all areas of the shoe bottom including the shank portions of the same.

The abrasive band and brush are mounted on an upright frame that supports a separate motor for each of these elements together with pulleys for driving the wire brush and for guiding the abrasive band in a triangular path and across a window in a dust hood where the band is exposed for action. The frame also supports speed control means for the brush, and means whereby the operating tension of the abrasive band may be released for convenient replacement. The dust hood or casing carried by the frame includes parts forming separate suction passages from the band and brush whereby the grinding and bufling debris is drawn directly from the operating points of these elements and disposed of in a clean manner. A further feature of the machine consists in an adjustable guard and guide facilitating presentation of a shoe bottom to the abrasive band with maximum safety for the operator.

In one aspect the present invention consists of the broad combination of bottom grinding and roughing instrumentalities in one and the same machine whereby the two operations may be effected in a single handling of the lasted shoe with important savings in time, equipment and floorspace to the manufacturer.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the machine.

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation on a omewhat larger scale.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary View in front elevation.

FIG. 4 is a view in elevation partly in section of the tracking and tcnsioning unit of the abrasive band.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view showing the shoe rest and guard, and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the unit shown in FIG. 4.

The endless abrasive band 10 is arranged to run in a triangular path over the pulleys ill, 12 and 13 while the rotary wire brush 14 is secured to the left hand end of the transverse shaft 15 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. These elements are mounted in a smooth streamlined casing carried at the convenient height by a post 16, which 3,110,939 Patented Nov. 19, 1963 "ice (1.. is part of the machine frame that also supports casings of a dust hood assembly.

The hood includes a removable wire brush housing 17 which terminates in a downwardly and rearwardly directed suction outlet 18. Within the housing 17 is formed an exhaust passage 19 leading to the brush l4 and a separate exhaust passage 2% leading to the pulley 13 about which passes the abrasive band it These passages are designed to receive the grinding and roughing debris and dust and discharge it through the suction outlet 18 so that the machine operates in an entirely clean manner.

The band housing 21 is provided with a hinged cover 22 and completely encloses the abrasive band except that in the upright front wall 23 of the casing is formed an elongated window 24 through which the band 16 is exposed for the presentation of a shoe bottom.

The abrasive band lit is driven by the rear pulley 11 fast to a shaft 25 which is in line with and connected to the shaft of a motor 26, not shown but indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 2. The lower pulley 13 is mounted on ball bearings on a transverse shaft 27 journaled in stationary bearings.

The upper pulley i2 is mounted by ball bearings on a transverse shaft 39 with provision for adjustment in tension and tracking of the band it as best shown in FIG. 4. The shaft 30 is flattened throughout a portion of its length and received between the forks of an arm 31 pivotally mounted to rock about a shaft 32 in a triangular bracket 33 secured within the housing of the machine. At its outer end, the forked arm 31 is closed by a cap plate 34 drilled by and tapped at one fork to receive a screw operated by a hand wheel 35' and bearing against the outer side of the shaft 3%. A compression spring 36 is interposed between the hand wheel 35 and the cap 34- while a second compression spring 37 bears against the inner side of the shaft 30. Pin 39 passes through the other fork of the arm 31 and through the shaft 36 thus forming a fulcrum about which the shaft may be rocked in adjusting the position of the pulley 12 to cause proper tracking of the band lid in the operation of the machine. It will be seen that this adjustment may be made from outside the casing and While the machine is in actual operation. In FIG. 6 it will be seen that the fulcrum pin 38 is located in one fork of the arm 31 while the adjusting screw 35 is located in the other fork of the arm, and that this angular adjustment of the shaft 36* is not in any way affected by the pivotal movement of the arm 31 about the axis of the shaft 32.

A tension adjusting screw itl has a swivel connection at its lower end to the bracket 33 and is surrounded by a compression spring 41 which bears against a shoulder formed in the arm 31 and tends powerfully to rock the arm upwardly or outwardly to maintain tension in the band lit. The spring 41 bears at its lower end against a collar 42 which is threaded upon the screw 44) and at its upper end the screw is provided with a hand knob 43 whereby the screw 46 may be conveniently turned to adiust the effective length of the spring 41. To the upper part of the bracket 33 is pivotally connected a toggle link 44 which is formed as part of a toggle lever 45. The second link 46 of the toggle is connected to the arm 31. As shown in FIG. 5, the toggle is broken so that the spring 41 is fully effective to press the arm 31 upwardly and so maintain substantial operating tension on the band 10. When it is desired to relieve the band of tension for replacement or other purposes the toggle lever may be swung downwardly carrying the toggle slightly past its center position and so looking the arm with the shaft 30 and pulley 12 in retracted position.

The belt housing 21 is provided above the window 24 with a downwardly opening enclosure 50 for an electric lamp so placed as to illuminate the operative area of the band. In passing the window 24', the band is backed up and supported by a flat pallet 51 adjustably mounted upon a flange 52 of the housing. The pallet is so located that the band just clears its surface when no work is presented thereto. When however the forepart of a shoe is pressed against the band, the pallet causes the band to travel in supporting contact therewith so that a smooth flat surface may be imparted to the forepart of the shoe bottom.

Below the window 24 is pnovided a combined rest and guard 53 shown as being of cylindrical shape and mounted on a carrier plate 54 which is adjustably bolted to a portion of the casing 23. This member serves as a work rest for supporting the shoe bottom as well as a guard for keeping the operators fingers out of contact with the abrasive band. The adjustment of the rest 52 is in an outwardly inclined direction so that the higher the rest is moved the further out from the band it lies.

The Wire brush shaft extends transversely across the housing in which it is journaled and is provided at its right hand end as shown in FIG. 3 with a driven pulley 55. This is driven by a belt 56 from a motor 57 through a variable speed pulley 58 of the well-known Reeves type.

The motor and pulley are mounted upon a plate 59 having a hinge pin 60 at its lower end. The speed of the motor is variably controlled by a long threaded rod 611 having a swivel connection with the plate 59 and provided with a hand wheel 62 at its upper end which is conveniently located within the reach of the operator at the right hand side of the casing. For example, the motor 57 may be a /2 HR, 1725 rpm. motor. It is directly connected to the wire brush shaft and its speed may be reduced if desired by turning the hand Wheel 62 so as to reduce the eifective diameter of the pulley 58. The motor is provided with a reversing switch 63 conveniently located upon the casing and by operating this the rotation of the Wire brush may be temporarily reversed when it requires to be sharpened.

It will be understood that the exhaust passage leading to the pulley 13 is formed in a casing or housing element that is part of the dust hood assembly.

Having thus disclosed our invention and described in detail an illustrative embodiment thereof, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A machine for preparing the bottoms of lasted shoes for attachment of soles, comprising a substantially closed and air-tight casing including a substantially upright wall having an opening therethrough of pnoportions accommodating the bottoms of lasted shoes, an elongated endless abrasive band Within said casing, a pair of substantially cylindrical and parallel idle pulleys mounted Within said casing one near the top and the other near the bottom of said opening, a third power-actuated pulley within said casing rearwardly of said pair of pulleys and opening, said pulleys guiding and holding said band within said casing in a tent and fiat condition of movement across said opening in downward direction from top to bottom thereof, whereby a lasted shoe bottom may be smoothed by engagement with the flat abrasive band between said pair of pulleys through said opening, and a suction outlet connected with said closed casing at the site of said other of said pulleys near the bottom of the said opening and drawing air into and through the casing from outside through the opening and past said other of said pulleys at relatively high velocity to clean said band of debris and dust loosened upon convex fleXure of said band about said other pulley subsequent to its engagement with shoe bottoms in the substantially flat condition.

2. A machine for preparing the bottoms of lasted shoes for attachment of soles as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the pair of idle pulleys is of diameter less than the diameter of said third pulley and wherein said pulleys are in a triangular array, whereby the upper of said pair of idle pulleys adds only relatively little height to the machine and the lower of said pulleys produces a relatively large convex flexure of said band to loosen the debris and dust while said third pulley develops a relatively large wrap with said band to aid in driving said band.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 221,647 Winslow et a1 Nov. 11, 1879 1,274,366 Bazzoni Aug. 6, 1918 1,404,752 Furber Jan. 31, 1922 1,484,706 Furber Feb. 26, 1924 2,104,837 Hunt Jan. 11, 1938 2,677,218 Lamison May 4, 1954 2,706,367 MacCarthy Apr. 19, 1955 2,780,033 Albright Feb. 5, 1957 2,791.070 Schaller May 7, 1.957 

1. A MACHINE FOR PREPARING THE BOTTOMS OF LASTED SHOES FOR ATTACHMENT OF SOLES, COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED AND AIR-TIGHT CASING INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY UPRIGHT WALL HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH OF PROPORTIONS ACCOMMODATING THE BOTTOMS OF LASTED SHOES, AN ELONGATED ENDLESS ABRASIVE BAND WITHIN SAID CASING, A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL AND PARALLEL IDLE PULLEYS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CASING ONE NEAR THE TOP AND THE OTHER NEAR THE BOTTOM OF SAID OPENING, A THIRD POWER-ACTUATED PULLEY WITHIN SAID CASING REARWARDLY OF SAID PAIR OF PULLEYS AND OPENING, SAID PULLEYS GUIDING AND HOLDING SAID BAND WITHIN SAID CASING IN A TAUT AND FLAT CONDITION OF MOVEMENT ACROSS SAID OPENING IN DOWNWARD DIRECTION FROM TOP TO BOTTOM THEREOF, WHEREBY A LASTED SHOE BOTTOM MAY BE SMOOTHED BY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FLAT ABRASIVE BAND BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF PULLEYS THROUGH SAID OPENING, AND A SUCTION OUTLET CONNECTED WITH SAID CLOSED CASING AT THE SITE OF SAID OTHER OF SAID PULLEYS NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE SAID OPENING AND DRAWING AIR INTO AND THROUGH THE CASING FROM OUTSIDE THROUGH THE OPENING AND PAST SAID OTHER OF SAID PULLEYS AT RELATIVELY HIGH VELOCITY TO CLEAN SAID BAND OF DEBRIS AND DUST LOOSENED UPON CONVEX FLEXURE OF SAID BAND ABOUT SAID OTHER PULLEY SUBSEQUENT TO ITS ENGAGEMENT WITH SHOE BOTTOMS IN THE SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT CONDITION. 